Banana heater and ripener.



A. L. FRANKEBERGER.

BANANA HEATER AND RIPENER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 19I6.

Patented July 3, 1917.

ALBERT LESLIE FRANKEBERGER, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

BANANA HEATER AND RIPENER.

Application filed May 22, 1916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT LEsLIE FRANK- EBERGER, citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Banana Heaters and Ripeners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in banana heaters and ripeners.

The object is to provide an appliance of the character mentioned, designed and preferably to be suspended from the wall for the discharge and circulation of heated air in the upper part of a room, so that an approximately uniform and equal distribution and circulation of warm air down through the bananas is provided.

It consists in an outer chamber in the lower end of which a heat is generated and through the restricted upper end of which the heated air circulates and from which it is discharged, there being a window at some intermediate point in the neighborhood of the heat generator for radiating the light.

The accompanying drawing is a view in perspective.

A, is a heating chamber, and l is a fiat, narrow flue which rises therefrom, and is preferably adapted to rest flat against the wall X where it may be held by wall brackets 2.

The upper discharge end 3, preferably curves over from a vertical to a horizontal position, whereby to discharge and circulate the heated air at a point above the top of the bananas, so that the warm or heated air upon dropping will pass over and down through the bananas hung in the room, thus ripening them.

In the enlarged bottom of the heater, there are preferably three ordinary gas-burners 4:, 4, arranged centrally of the chamber, which is left entirely open at the bottom, as at 8, in order that the incoming air may circulate freely around the burner, thereby greatly increasing the efficiency of the heater. A door 5 opens into the side of the chamber,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 3, 1917.

Serial No. 99,183.

whereby to light the gas jets 4, 4c- In the sloping front 6 mica or other transparent windows 7 are provided for lighting the banana room, so that the gas or other jets serve the double purpose of heating and circulating the air, and also of lighting or illuminating the room.

A test of the work of the apparatus has shown that the temperature of the top of the room in which my improved heater has been placed was 746, while at the location of the lower end of the bunch of bananas, it was 68, and the floor was 54 Fh. Thus, the cold damp air is taken from the bottom of the room, heated, and then passed up over and discharged upon the top of the bananas. It has been found that one heater of suitable size is required for about one thousand cubic feet of air.

The heater is preferably so placed that the top or upper discharge end 3, is about 18 inches above the top of the bananas, and the bottom of the heater is adapted to be the same height from the floor as the lower end of the bunch of bananas suspended in the room.

Thus, I produce an efficient appliance which has met the requirements of the fire regulations as well as proven satisfactory for the primarypurpose for which it was designed.

I claim:

A banana heater and ripener, comprising a chamber entirely open at the bottom thereof and provided with light and heat burners, a door communicating with said chamber and a comparatively thin fiat flue extending vertically and having a horizontal discharge opening at its upper end, the front walls sloping from the heating chamber of the flue and having transparent means therein for transmitting light from the burners within the heat chamber, and brackets attached to the vertical fine for fastening the heater upon the side walls of the room in termediate of the floor and ceiling.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

I ALBERT LESLIE FRANKEBERGER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

